Seamed toe stocking and method of making same



March 1, F w

SEAMED TOE STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Nov. 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

INVENTOR.

A Tram; Y5

March 1,1960 J. F. TEW 2,926,513

SEAMED TOE STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME INVENTOR.

I: Josqvfi Frank Z'ezw BY A TTORNEYS nited SEAMED TOE STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Joseph Frank Tew, Whitmire, S.C., assignor to Whitmire Hosiery Mills, Whitmire, S.C., a corporation of South I Carolina Application November 10, 1958, Serial No. 77 3,095

20 Claims. (Cl. 66 187) round is formed by circular knitting so that the toe portion can be closed on a conventional looping machine. This method is slow because the loops at the looper round must be individually placed by hand on the points of the dial on the looping machine. Consequently, a long pe riod of time is necessary for a looping machine operator to develop the speed and skilllthat is required for this type of work. Moreover, since reciprocating knitting produces fabric much slower than continuous rotary knitting, the knitting of the toe pocket by reciprocation obviously takes considerably more time than it would if the toe pocket could be knitted substantially entirely by continuous circular knitting.

A toe pocket cannot be shaped on a circular knitting machine without knitting some portion thereof on fewer than all of the needles. Hence, some reciprocating knitting is inevitable. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to knit a form-fitting toe pocket utilizing a minimum of reciprocating knitting.

In knitting the toe pocket of the present stocking, a narrow ring toe is first knitted by continuous circular knitting and then the machine is converted to reciprocating knitting to knit portions of the. toe pocket on preselected needles, while the remaining needles are held out of action but retain a loop thereon. Two successive portions of fabric of different widths are thus knitted to impart the desired shape to the toe pocket. Circular knitting is then resumed and the remainder of the toe pocket is knitted by placing all needles into action, whereby two pairs of gore lines are formed at thejunctures between the two portions of the toe pocket that were previously knitted by reciprocating knitting and the portion subsequently knitted by continuous circular knitting. Knitting of the toe pocket is completed by a looper waste ring formed by continuous rotary knitting. The looper round employed in conventional methods is eliminated. Since the two portions of the toe pocket knitted by reciprocating knitting are also preferably of different length, pairs of short and long gores are produced in the toe pocket.

Previous attempts have been made to knit shaped toe pockets on a circular knitting machine and to close such pockets by sewing a seam on a sewing machine. However, such prior methods are such that they do not permit knitting of a mesh or lace pattern, for example, in the foot portion, to the beginning of the toe pocket and, therefore, stockings made in accordance therewith are objectionable when worn with open-toe shoes because of the difference in the knitting in the instep portion of the stocking and the portion of the stocking next to the toe pocket. a

Prior methods have also required marking or drawing of a line upon the toe pocket to indicate the path along which the seam is to be sewn to close the toe pocket. Still other methods have required the use of a board of a predetermined contour as a guide for sewing the seam' to close the toe opening. Neither of the foregoing is required in practicing the present method. Instead, the foot portion of the stocking is folded flat and the seam is formed by sewing it half way across the toe pocket along a line parallel with a looper waste ring, and then sewing the remainder of the seam by extending it diagonally across the toe pocket to a point intersecting with the fold at the sole edge of the foot approximately at the beginning of the point of knitting of the toe pocket. The path of sewing of the seam by the present method can be readily gauged by the eye of the operator. Such seaming requires very little skill, which can be acquired by the operator in a few hours, compared with the weeks of training of a looping machine operator.

The principal object of the invention is twofold: namely, to provide a form-fit toe pocket, the major portion of which can be knitted by circular knitting and which toe pocket can be quickly closed by seaming on a sewing machine, of the seamer type, without the use of extraneous guide means.

Another object is to provide a stocking having a formfit toe pocket that'can be knitted on a circular knitting machine in less time than prior stockings.

; Another object is to provide a seamed toe stocking in which the seam is disposed beneath the foot, but is arranged so that it causes no discomfort to the wearer.

Another object is to provide a stocking and method of making the same whereby a mesh, lace, or other pattern can beprovided in the entire foot portion between the heel pocket and the toe pocket by circular knitting.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent when considered with the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view of the foot end of a knitted stocking as it appears after having been folded and adjusted to position the short and long gore lines in registration preparatory to sewing a seam to close the toe;

Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line'22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the instep, but showing the portions of the instep spaced apart to better illustrate the registering relation of the corresponding gore lines;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the same stocking shown in Fig. 1, and particularly illustrating in dotted lines the contour of the seam relative to the whole toe end of the stocking;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the stocking of Fig. 3, but with the excess or waste material below the seam removed;

Fig. 5 is a view of the complete foot of the seamed stocking after having been turned inside out, dyed and boarded to final shape;

Fig. 6 is a view of the toe end of the stocking of Fig.

5 as seen looking at the sole of the foot of a wearer;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the toe of the stocking shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the successive needle selections employed in knitting various portions of the toe pocket.

Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates the foot end of a stocking 10 that has been knitted upon a conventional, circular knitting machine. The stocking 10 includes the usual leg portion (not shown), an ankle portion 12, a heel pocket 14, a foot portion 16, and a toe pocket 18.

The foot portion 16 is produced by circular knitting of 15 or other denier nylon yarn and may be formed of plain, mesh, lace, or any other desired pattern. The foot portion, regardless of the loop pattern or knitting style selected, isknitted by circular knitting until the toe pocket 18 is to be formed. Thus, the'foot portion 16 is knitted to the juncture line indicated by the letters A-A,

at which time a yarn change is effected, taking out the 15 denier yarn employed in knitting the foot portion 16 and putting into action a relatively heavier reinforcing yarn, for example, a 40 or 50 denier nylon yarn. Circular knitting of the heavier yarn is continued for about 12 courses to the course marked B-B to knit the ring toe portion 17 of the toe pocket. The 12 courses men: tioned are illustrative only, and it is to be understood that the ring toe portion 17 may consist of any desired number of courses.

"After knitting the last course of the ring toe portion 17, a predetermined number of needles is raised out of action and the machine is' converted to reciprocation to start knitting a section of fabric whose edges are defined by a pair of short gores 20, only one of which is shown in Figs.'1, 3, 4, and 5, and both of which are diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2 at diametrically opposite sides of the toe pocket 18. Knitting of the fabric between gores 20 is initiated by using about one-half the total number. of needles on the cylinder. More specifically, the needles used are those disposed at the portion of the cylinder opposite the heel pocket 14. Hence, the cylinder need not be reciprocated through more than a half revolution. The machine is operated in reciprocating knitting for about 12 courses, during which the needle selection is controlled so that one needle is picked off,

or raised out of action, at the beginning and at the end of each course, so that the short gores 20 are formed at an angle to the line of the wales. The result is that a total of 24 additional needles is ta ken out of action and the fabric knitted has become progressively narrower. Here, again, the number of courses employed to knit the fabric between the short gores 20, and the corresponding number of needles taken out of action, may be varied within reasonable limits. The needles thus taken out of action, of course, retain a loop thereon. The last course of the fabric between the gores 20-20 is indicated by the line C-C.

At this point, further shaping is imparted to the toe pocketlS by knitting another section of fabric defined by two additional relatively long gores 22-22. Thus, upon completion of the last course CC, between the short gore lines 20-20, a substantial number (for example, 50) of additional needles are raised and held out of action at each end of the previously knitted fabric, and the machine continues operation in reciprocating knitting to produce a narrower section of fabric. The gores 22 preferably extend through 48 courses with a needle selection that lowers and replaces into action one additional needle at the end of each reciprocatory stroke, so that by the time that the fabric has progressed to the course indicated at D-D, Fig. 1, a total of 48 needles will have been placed back into action. Here, again, the knitting of 48 courses is not critical, and reasonable variation therefrom is obviously permissible.

It will be apparent from the foregoing, that the short gores 20-20 terminate in the course C-C immediately preceding the course in which the long gores 22-22 start, but on a substantially reduced number of needles, whereby an abrupt narrowing of the toe pocket 18 is effected at the course CC. During the knitting of the fabric between the long gores 22-22, the fabric is progressively widened until the course D-D is reached, whereby to further shape the toe pocket 18. It will be noted, however, that the course'D-D is substantially shorter than the course CC.

Upon completion of the last course DD between the long gores 22-22, all of the remaining needles previously raised and held out of action are lowered, and circular knitting is resumed on all needles. It is at this point that the gores 20-20 and 22-22 are actually formed as the sections of fabric therebetween are joined to the fabric subsequently knitted using all needles. Circular knitting continues to the juncture line E-E to complete the knitting of the toe pocket 18. The circular knitting between the lines DD and E-E may comprise 72 courses, or any other suitable number of courses, depending upon the desired length of the toe portion. When knitting has progressed to the course E-E, the heavy nylon yarn is taken out of action and a heavy cotton yarn is placed into action to form a looper waste ring indicated at 24,v which completes the knitting of the stocking. The looper Waste ring 24 is provided to avoid unravelling of the adjacent toe part 18, and to facilitate seaming of the toe opening of the stocking by counteracting the tendency of the end of the toe pocket to roll Upon completion of the knitting of the stocking, the foot portion 16, which is tubular, is manually folded fiat prior to seaming, and care is exercised in such folding to make certain that the gores 20-20 and 22-22 of the toe pocket 18 are in registration. The dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2 diagrammatically illustrate the alignment of the gores; the opposing portions of the foot 16 and toe pocket 38 being shown spread apart, instead of in contact as is the actual case during seaming.

The toe pocket 18 is closed by stitching a conventional over-edge seam 26, Figs. 3 and 4, completely across the open end of the stocking. The seam 26 includes a straight section extending between the points x-y, which is equal in length to about half the diameter of the foot of the stocking; the point x lying along the fold at the instep portion of the foot and the point y being located about midway across the folded foot. This portion of the seam is disposed parallel with the courses B-B, C-C, and D-D and at right angles to the wales or longitudinal axis of the stocking. The seam 26 also includes a straight diagonal portion extending from the point 31 to the point z, with the point z located approximately at the Intersection of the end of the line A-A with the fold along the sole portion of the foot. Consequently, a pointed V-shape is provided in the material of the toe pocket after boarding, as shown in Fig. 6.

The seam 26 may be started at any desired distance from the juncture line E-E between the toe pocket 18 and the looper waste ring 24, but is preferably spaced about inch from said line. This dimension is not critical and may be varied, consistent with seaming the toe with a minimum of waste. It is preferred that the seam 26 be sewn on a conventional seaming machine that includes a cutter that trims off the excess or looper waste material 24 simultaneously with the stitching operation. Fig. 4 illustrates the seamed toe after the looper waste has been cut off.

After the seam 26 has been completed, the stocking is turned inside out and is then subjected to the usual finishing operations, including placing the stocking upon a conventional board to give it the shape illustrated in Fig. 5. It will be noted from this figure and from Fig. 6 that the point x of the seam 26 is at the point of the toe and, therefore, the seam is invisible when the stocking is on the foot of the wearer. It will also be noted that the point 2 is located under the ball of the foot with the seam 26 extending along the longitudinally center line of the foot. It will be further noted that the line A-A, which marks the beginning of the toe pocket, while originally extending transversely of the foot portion of the stocking, as shown in Fig. 4, assumes a position where it extends transversely across the upper portion of the foot and then curves rearwardly beneath the foot.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate the toe pocket 18 in the shape that it ass'u'mes on the foot of a wearer. It will be noted from Fig'. 6 that the short gores 20-20 assume a position whereas, the long gores 2222 assume a position at the opposite sides of the foot and extend around the sides of the foot, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. However, it will be apparent that the position of the gore lines relative to the foot will vary with the width of the foot of the wearer. The courses comprising the ring toe 17 at the upper portion of the foot will lie at right angles to the wales, as indicated in Fig. 7, although the portion of the toe pocket disposed beneath the foot assumes the shape of a V as indicated by the several letters A in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a specific example of needle selection for knitting the toe pocket 18 described above. This figure may be described as a developed view of a needle'cylinder with the center line WW corresponding to the midportion of the needle cylinder including the needles which are used in reciprocating knitting to knit the toe pocket; The line WW may also be said to correspond to the center line of the instep of the foot portion of the stocking.

It will be understood that the stocking disclosed herein may be knit upon a machine having any desired number of needles, but as illustrative of one operative example of a suitable machine, Fig. 8 has been drawn based upon a cylinder having a total of 474 needles. Line AA of Fig. 8 corresponds to the juncture line A-A of Fig. 1, indicating the beginning of the knitting of the ring toe 17. It will be understood that the line B-B, Fig. 8, corresponds with the last course of the toe ring 17, Fig. 1. As is indicated in Fig. 8, the ring toe 17 is formed by knitting l2 courses, as indicated at the left edge of said figure, using all 474 needles, in circular knitting.

The knitting of the section of fabric between the gore lines 20-20 is commenced by holding half of the needles raised, or out of action, and effecting reciprocating knitting on the remaining half, or 237, needles for 12 courses, picking off one needle at the beginning and end of each reciprocatory stroke, so that upon completion of the courses, 24 needles will have been taken out of action. The line C-C, Fig. 8, indicates the last course between the gores 2020, which is thus knit on 213 needles. The knitting of the fabric between the long gore 2222 is started from course C-C, but with 100 additional needles raised or taken out of action, so that reciprocating knitting is started with U3 needles and is continued through 48 courses, as indicated at the left edge of said figure, with one needle being placed into action at the end of each reciprocatory stroke so that a total of 48 needles is put back into action; the last course being indicated by the line DD and being knitted on 161 needles.

Following tire completion of the last course between the long gores 2222, all needles are placed into action and the machine is operated in continuous circular knitting to complete the toe pocket. All of the needles previously raised and not previously put back into action resume knitting to form additional fabric and complete the gore lines 2020 and 2222 at the juncture between the previously knit and newly knit fabric. As is indicated in Fig. 8, the end of the toe pocket 18 is represented by the line E-E, which is located at a point 72 courses from the last course DD of the long gores 2222. The cotton looper waste ring 24 is then knitted by continuous rotary knitting through 18 courses to complete the knitting of the stocking, the last course of the cotton looper waste ring being indicated by the line F-F.

In actual practice, it has been found that twenty-eight stockings based on the present method can be knit in an eight-hour day, as compared with the knitting of only twenty-four conventional stockings on the same machine in a corresponding time period. Thus, an increase 1n production of 16% percent can be effected with a corresponding savings in time.

It will be understood that the number of courses described in forming the toe pocket 18, and the number of needles used in reciprocating knitting of portions of the 6 toe pocket, are given merely by way of specific example and can be varied within reasonable limits without departing from the principles of the invention or the scope of theannexed claims.

I claim:

1. In a circular knit stocking, a toe pocket comprising: courses knitted to provide disconnected pairs of circumferentially spaced gores, the gores of any given pair extending over the same number of coursesand the gores of one pair extending over a greater number'of courses than the gores of another pair, and the gores of the respective pairs being formed by different groups of courses.

2. A toe pocket construction, as defined in claim l, in which the gores of the respective pairs are spaced different distances apart.

3. A toe pocket as defined in claim 2, in which the pair of gores which is more closely spaced is located nearest to the outer end of the toe pocket.

4. A toe pocket, as defined in claim 1, in which the different pairs of gores extend through a different number of courses. 1

5. A toe pocket, as defined in claim 1, in which one pair of gores begins with the course immediately following that in which the other pair terminates.

' 6. A toe pocket, as defined in claim 1, in which a first pair of gores is formed adjacent the inner end of the toe pocket and a second pair of gores is formed outwardly of said, first pair of go'res. v I p v 7. A toe pocket, as defined in claim 6, in which the second pair of gores is longer than the first pair.

8. 'A toe pocket, as defined in claim 6, in which the gores of the first pair extend toward each other in the direction of the outer end of the pocket and are separated by courses that progressively decrease in length.

9. A toepocket, as defined in claim 6, in which the gores of the second pair extend away from each other in a direction toward the outer end of the toe pocket and are separated by courses that gradually increase in length.

10.,A toepocket, as defined in claim 6, in which the courses between the second pair of gore lines are all shorter than the courses between the first pair of gore lines.

11. In a circular knit stocking, a foot portion having a toe pocket, comprising: a continuous ringtoe portion; a first fabric section joined to said ring toe portion and of substantially less circumferential length than said ring toe portion progressively decreasing in width from course to course; a second fabric section joined with said first fabric section and being of less width throughout than said first fabric section and progressively increasing in length from course to course; and a cylindrical toe portion joined to said ring toe portion and to said first and second fabric sections, respectively, and forming a first pair of gore lines at the juncture thereof with said first fabric section and forming a second pair of gore lines at the juncture thereof with said second fabric section. I

12. A circular knit stocking, as defined in claim 11, in which the foot portion is formed by non-plain knitting extending to the ring toe portion.

13. The method of forming a toe pocket in a stocking using a circular knitting machine, which comprises: knitting a ring toe by continuous circular knitting and then successively knitting by reciprocating knitting, two sections of fabric of different width using not more than half the needles; then completing knitting of the toe po'cket by circular knitting on all of the needles, whereby to shape the toe pocket and to provide gore lines therein at the opposite ends of said fabric sections, closing the open end of the toe; and boarding the stocking into the desired shape.

14. The method of forming a toe pocket, as defined in claim 13, including the steps of completing knitting of the toe pocket by forming a looper waste ring by continuous circular knitting, and severing the loo'per waste courses after closing the open end.

l-5, The method defined-in claim 1 3,inc uding the step Qf' knitting one of the fabric sectionsof substantially greater length than theother. r

16. In a method of fabricating a toe ipocket adjacent a foot portion comprising the steps of knitting a ring toe portion to the end of the foot portion by continuous circular knitting; knitting a first fabric section, of substantially less circumferential extent than said ring toe portion; to said ring toe portion by reciprocating knitting and reducing the width of said first fabric section from course to courseyknitting a second fabric section, of substantially less circumferential extent than said first fabric section; to said first fabric section, by reciprocating knitting increasing the length of successive courses of said seco'nd fabric section; knitting, by continuous rotary knitting, a toe portion to' said ring toe portion and to said first and second fabric sections, respectively, thereby forming a first pair of gore lines at the juncture between said toe'portion and said'firstfabric section and a second pair of gore lines between said toe portion and said second fabric section, closing the open end of the toe; and boarding the'stocking into the desired shape. 1

l7. Themethod of making a toe pocket in a stocking foot, which comprises: knitting a ring toe by continuous circular knitting on a circular knitting machine; raising out of action approximately all of the needles on the side of the needle cylinder which knitted the bottom of the foot portion of the stocking; then reciprocating the cylinder while raising at least one of the active needles out of action at the end of each reciprocatory stroke for a predetermined number of successive courses to knit a first fabric section; simultaneously raising a predetermined number of additional needles out of action While continuing reciprocating knitting and lowering one needle at a time into action on successive reciprocations of the cylinder through a predetermined number of courses to knit a second fabric section; then placing all of the needles back into action and completing the knitting of the toe pocket by continuous rotary knitting, and forming a pair of corresponding gore lines at the ends of said fabric sections, closing the open end of the toe; and boarding the stocking into'the desired shape.

18'. The method of making a toe pocket, as defined in claim 17, in which the closing of the open end of the toe includes the steps of folding the toe pocket flat along the longitudinal center line of the footto bring the respective pairs of gore lines in registering relation, and then sewing a seam across the folded toe pocket starting from the fold at the instep and extending along a line parallel with the courses near the outer end of the toe pocket for a distance equal to about half the diameter of the toe pocket and then continuing the seam along a diagonal line to a point intersecting with the fold along the sole of the footapproximately at the beginning of the toe pocket.

19. The method of making a toe pocket as defined in claim 17, including the step of: adding to the end of the to'e pocket, by continuous rotary knitting, a looper waste ring of yarn heavier than that employed in knitting the toe pocket, to prevent rolling up of the toe pocket and thus facilitate closing of the open end of saidtoe pocket.

20. The method of making a toe pocket, as defined in claim 19, in which the closing of the open end of the toe includes the steps of seaming the open end of the toe pocket by starting the seam adjacent the looper waste ring and extending it parallel thereto for a substantial portion of the width of the toe pocket and then continuing the seam diagonally to approximately the point of juncture of the toe pocket with the foot portion of the stocking; and severing the looper waste courses along a line adjacent to and generally parallel to the seam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 733,926 Williams July 14, 1903 1,870,701 Williams Aug. 9, 1932 2,437,195 Hunt Mar. 2, 1948 2,699,056 Margulies Jan. 11, 1955 2,703,972 Reymes-Cole et a1. Mar. 15, 1955 

